Robert E Mills, page 1
Prologue It was a time of tragedy and alarm; it was a time of hope and wonder. A dark, encroaching evil was loose in the universe, aforce that harnessed the creative powers of consciousness to the dark and terrible forces of nature, to the negative pole of the Infinite. It was a time when the powers of good and evil met in a combat of cosmic magnitude. It was the time when the Primula galaxy became a graveyard for the crews and starships of the Dark Empire's mighty armada.
Of all beings in the known universe, Ylang- Ylang, the Dark Empire's lord, was the most wondrous. . . and the most terrible. God-like and incorporeal, a self-created immortal whose basis appeared to be energy itself; it was a thing devoted entirely to the works of evil and the domination of all sentient creatures. The heart of its empire was the black planet Flaigon, home of its ancestors, the extinct Mordlings. The last survivor of this titanic race, Ylang had transformed itself into a deathless being, a great andfearsome mass of corrupt energies whose very sight was too much tobe borne by the eyes and minds of mortal creatures.
Its heritage was the incredibly advanced science and refinements of evil developed by its ancestors, whose lifespans ran in excess of six thousand years. Its will-to-power was as limitless as its appetite for evil was insatiable. Ylang fed upon the energies produced by the torment and agony of other s.entient life-forms, literally consuming its victims in the process; hence its title, the Great Devourer.
The Chronicles of Tallin
The forces of the Dark Empire seemed to be irresist-ible: its black starfleets ranged far and wide, extinguish-ing the light of freedom in galaxy after galaxy, creating in this manner the mightiest empire ever known among the stars. Rebellions were virtually unheard-of in that vast slave-empire, for the reason that their occurrence brought forth punishments of unbelievable severity.
The elite fighting force of the empire was the Death Legion, commanded by yet another elite, the Ysss: a race of fierce reptiloids who held the empire's highest offices and kept the counsel of the Dark Emperor. They worshiped death and lived to 4estroy; friendship, kindness, pity and compassion they regarded as mere signs of weakness; they were creatures bred to murder. Chief among the Ysss overlords was Blorg, the Supreme Commander of all the empire forces and the being closest to Ylang- Ylang.
The Dark Empire spread across the star-fields in the manner of a tidal wave, and all who encountered it (with few exceptions) were convinced of its invincibility. It was a creation of darkness, a juggernaut fueled by evil and armored in the powers of the dark side of the Infinite. Its might grew with each new conquest; and horror and terror filled the shadows it left in its wake.
The empire seemed truly unstoppable. . . until one day
a strange combination of forces, both accidental and intentional, vectored-in on the line of its progress.
It started with the invasion of the Primula galaxy, a place where war had been unknown for over two hundred years; and this act of naked aggression brought together most of the principal actors in this cosmic drama. . .
At this time, Dann Oryzon of the waterworld of Aquaea, a young man who never knew his real parents and one who had the rare honor of being adopted by the dolphin-civilization of the Quee, was taken prisoner aboard an empire startransport known as a slaver.
There he was befriended by Callix of Aurea Solis (the golden planet that was the center of galactic resistance) and his daughter, the lady Nila, with whom Dann later fell in love. After an encounter with Lord Blorg, Callix (even though Dann had tried to save his life) died; but not before he pledged Dann to accompany his daughter and carryon his mission. That mission was to locate the Fellowship of Light, the mystical order that guarded the Primula galaxy in the days before the era of the Great Peace.
Dann and Nila were rescued by the first person to shatter the myth of the Dark Empire's invincibility: the star-pirate, Red Rian, a pilot of incredible skill and the skipper of the good ship Hazard, perhaps the best fighting ship to be found anywhere. With him were his first-mate, the "fierce and lovable" Purpur, a giant felinoid, and the young technical genius, Ween Leever.
Rian and the rest of his crew were all from the neighbor-ing galaxy of Taylos, natives of the planet Urgel, a world that had been destroyed by the Dark Empire in retaliation for its leadership of that galaxy's fierce resistance. Rian was a hard and blustering mercenary of a man who lived only to avenge the extinction of his family and people. . . a debt that could only be settled by the death of Lord Blorg.
Through the agency of the wise, beautiful and all-too-human androids, Altektu and D-Anacom, the ad-venturers reached the planet Palos, in the outworlds of the Nova Vega system. This was the stronghold of the Fellowship of Light, and there Dann and Nila claimed the right of suppliants and asked for the aid of the galaxy's former guardians. Garthane, the imposing and serene High Master of the order (a man nearly three hundred years old !), invoked the power of the Infinite Oneness and pledged the Fellowship's aid, immediately recalling to Palos the scattered members of the now-depleted order.
Following this, Garthane sent Nila and Rian back to Aurea Solis, where she was to rally the League of Free Worlds and inform its chiefs of Garthane' s strategy; the star-pirate and his crew would train the League's pilots and impart to its people their great fund of technical know-how and combat skills. Then, to the amazement of the others, the High Master told Dann Oryzon that he was to stay and be initiated into 1he Fellowship, an order that combined worldly and martial-arts skills with
spiritual enlightenment. After the completion of the arduous and months-long initiation, consummated by an act of mass levitation caused by a "mind-lock," the result of the members' collective state of "At-One"
with the Infinite, Garthane revelaed to Dann the fact that he was was his true father.
Nila brought the League Garthane's message, and Red Rian trained its pilots. Like Dann, the pirate changed much in the last days before the coming of the Dark Armada; and he, like the young Aquaean, fell in love with the lady from the golden planet. Nila herself had strong feelings for both men. But there was too little time for this complication to be resolved; the Dark Empire came first.
Through treachery, Blorg managed to recapture Nila.
He then took her to Ylang's lair in the subterranean Forbidden City of Kordor-along with the League's battle-plans. Displaying incredible audacity, Rian and his crew went after Blorg, and the star-pirate boldly confronted the horrible Ylang and challenged his favorite to mortal combat, the stakes being safe passage to Aurea Solis, should he be victorious. Mortal combat, foul-play and a series of remarkable events ensued, fascinating even the bored and immortal Ylang (for the eternal are prey to the constant threat of boredom). As a
"reward" for their boldness, Ylang was about to consume his visitors, who were saved only by the arrival and intervention of Garthane and Dann. Ylang was distracted by an earthquake caused1Jy the Fellowship's collective powers of mind, and Dann was able to lead his companions out of Kordor; Garthane did not come with them, and it was assumed that he had been killed by the Dark Emperor.
By the time the fugitives reached Aurea Solis, the dark armada had already attacked. Ordered by Rian to improvise when the battle-plans were discovered sto-len, the ~eague pilots fought bravely and well, inflicting great losses on their more rigid opponents; but the sheer numerical superiority of the enemy had begun to shift the balance. Rian, arrivi,ng in the Hazard, rallied the allies for a time; but they were soon overwhelmed again.
What saved the League was Garthane's arrival.
Using the combined powers of mind of all its members, the Fellowship brought about the collapse and destruction of the greater part of the armada's starships; the survivors fled in panic. Meanwhile, Blorg had arrived as well, and was immediately embroiled in the combat when his flagship, the Devastator was confronted by the Hazard. After a hard battle in deep space, Rian had the satisfaction of watching his adversary's fleeing starship erupt with a series of explosions that eventually consumed it.
The defeat of the armada freed the Primula galaxy
. . . for the present. Now the future hangs in the balance, for the Dark Empire still casts its shadow over these star-fields; there are--still worlds to be liberated and plans to be made. The struggle is not over yet. . .
But, at the same time, the many suns ofPrimula seem to shine a little brighter; the laughter of children still rings in the air; and men and women still fall in love. . .
Chapter 1
No Longer Invincible
Cries of Down with the Emperor! and On to Flaigon echoed throughout all the free worlds of the Primula galaxy as soon as the news of the Dark Armada's destruction had been received. The enemy was no longer invincible, as the newly-composed popular song from Aurea Solis proclaimed; and Red Rian's words, "Catch
'em with their pants down-and boot 'em in the ass!"
had become the slogan of the day. But there was no time for self-congratulation or resting on laurels; the occupied worlds of the galaxy still had to be liberated.
Tacticall¥, the League of Free Worlds had one great advantage as "Operation Lib" commenced: the armada's destruction had left Primula relatively free of enemy starships. But the empire forces were entrenched on the ground, and there were still large numbers of atmospheric fighting-craft based on the occupied planets. On the day after the great victory, the liberation forces began to lift-off from their home bases, speeding to their assigned objectives, secure in the knowledge that they would be welcomed and assisted by the various resistance movements that had sprung up on m
Savage and merciless, the Dark Empire garrisons had made few friends; every civilian, young and old, male and female, was a potential (and often actual) enemy.
Knives gleamed in the shadows; snipers ambushed offi-cials; crowds swamped and overturned military vehicles; local techs sabotaged homie and recon-robots; and sentries mysteriously disappeared from their posts at night. The liberations weren't easy, but they came swiftly and inexorably nonetheless.
Dan Oryzon beamed at his father from the foot of the tlexiladder and said, "Infinity is at the heart of all things." And Garthane, High Master of the Fellowship of Light, responded with the other half of the ritual fonnula, "All things are one." He waved and turned to enter the starship.
The day was bright with promise and Dann felt a young man's trust in the future and belief in the powers of change. What more could a young man ask? He had found his true father, been initiated into great mysteries, was instrumental in a glorious victory, and managed to survive and be reunited with his comrades-in-arms.
And who walked beside him, as he left the spaceport of Libera, capital of Aurea Solis, the golden world?
Whose hair caught the sunlight and turned it to gold?
Whose copper skin gave off the fragrance of summer
flowers? Whose grey eyes reminded him of the cloud mantled oceans of his homeworld with their beckoning depths?
Suddenly Dann stopped and turned to face the tall and graceful young woman beside him. "Nila," he said, no longer stammering in her presence the way he had months before, secure now in the knowledge of who he was and what he wanted. "Forgive me, but I have to ask'
this now. There's much to be done yet, and . . . well maybe we both won't be alive at the end of it all." He looked deep into her eyes. "Could you. . . ever. . .
love me?"
Nila's smile was as beautiful as the sun that warmed her world. "I could," she replied, without a millisecond's hesitation. "And in a way, I already do."
And she did, having been drawn to Dann from the first, after he attempted to save her father's life by confront-ing the horrible Blorg. The root of her feelings was composed of gratitude and respect; that root had grown into the stem of friendship and admiration; and the stem had begun to bear a flower. . .
"And Red Rian, too?" Dann asked, at the same time not wishing to hear her answer.
She and the star-pirate had been through much together, and beneath the armor he wore to defend his inner self, Nila had been able to see the beauty and goodness of the man. "Yes, Dann." She grew serious as she answered. "I have the same feelings toward both of you." She leaned over, brushed his cheek with her lips, and murmured softly in his ear. "That's why I can't make up my mind. I'm trying. Believe me, I am."
"Do you think you'll know. . . sometime soon?"
"As soon as I'm able, Dann."
"Fair enough," he said as they started walking again.
"Let's get something to eat. I'm starved." ,
"Well," Nila replied, shaking her head. "At least I won't have to worry about you wasting away for love of me."
As she took his hand, he thought, I'll know soon enough, I suppose. And tomorrow I'll be going home
. . . to liberate Aquaea !
"You knock-kneed, overfed, foot-dragging slag-farmers!" bawled the captain of the good ship Hazard.
You wobble-jointed, fork-toetl sons of dung-skreets!
You thimble-headed lot of Bedellian sissy-boys! Shape up or ship out! The next time we dock, you swag-bellied wimps, I'm going to scuttle you all, and sign up your grannies for the next cruise !"
Red Rian was in great form. The crew of the Hazard chortled and winked at each other behind their skipper's back. Even Purpur smiled, in his feline way. This tirade wasjust like old times. Blowing Blorg to reptiloid atoms had done wonders for the man. And even his chief tech-head, Ween Leever, a person known to prefer Rian in a quieter state-sleep, for instance, had to grin.
Rian grinned, too, as he brought the Hazard in from its post-combat shakedown flight. "The next man to
snicker," he said cheerfully, "is going out through one of the tubes to be the first to land on Aurea Solis." He knew peace for the first time in many years, now that Blorg was gone and the blood-debt paid. His crew had outdone themselves as usual and the enemy had been smashed.
Only one thing perplexed him: How in the name of Zel do you destroy a thing as incredible and enormously powerful as Ylang" Ylang? That was a problem. . .
Nevertheless, in a fit of optimism after the victory celebration, juiced to the neurons on nenegol (that dragon-slaying drink from his homeworld), Rian had tottered back to the Hazard's torpedo-bays, and painted each proton-torpedo with the name, Ylang- Ylang.
Who knows? he thought. If we get lucky again, I might be able to chuck afew torpedos into the middle of that fat, churning mass offission-fusion garbage. Now, wouldn't that be nice?
He began to sing. "There was a girl from the outworlds. . ."
"Oh Zel, he's gonna sing!" a voice muttered over the ship's intercom. Groans went up throughout the Hazard.
"And Ee-genn was her na-'ame ," persisted Rian, fighting a smile that threatened to turn his features to jelly.
"This is worse than facing Ylang!" another crewman muttered. Unfortunately for his shipmates, Rian was more enthusiastic than than musical; his full-throated baritone was more than offset by a tin-ear .
Splat! Purpur, seated in the co-pilot's seat beside Rian, swished his thick tail ~nd whacked his chief on the back of the head, registering his disapproval in the fashion of the cat-folk of Yahwoo. Cries of "Let's mutiny!" and "Gag him !" filled the ship. The muse beat a tactical retreat as Rian tugged his red beard and swallowed the next line of The Girl from the Outworlds.
"You win this time, you pusillanimous gleets," the pirate said. "But I won't forget this. And the next time one of you incompetents messes up, I won't just knock you on your launchpad-no, I'll lock you in my cabin and sing to you for half an hour. So watch your step, louts."
As the Hazard entered the atmosphere of the golden planet, Rian's thoughts turned to Nila. She's got to crack soon. Dann'sa good lad, of course , but she needs the support and experienced counsel of an older man.
But she likes the kid, too. . . I don't know how she does it. I've lusted after dozens simultaneously, but only had the compartment space for one love at a time. Poor Nila, it must be a hard and wrenching thing for her.
being divided by the love of two such worthy men. Well, a worthy man and a worthy boy. It's not easy. But whichever she chooses, at least she'll have the consola-tion ofknowing she couldn't have possibly done better.
"Rian, you're too quiet," said Ween Leever.
"Ah, leave me to my thoughts, Weenie-boy," was
his skipper's reply.
Old Klegg nudged Ween and whispered, "Can't you see the man's in'love, lad?"
Ween's eyes went electro-shock wide. "I didn't know," he whispered back.
The old Taylian shook his head. "You would if you weren't always dreaming about gadgets and gizmos, boy. You must be the last person on the planet to know.
Welcome to reality."
Purpur was happy for his chief. The cat-man leaned over and ran his sandpaper tongue up the nape of Red Rian's neck, and was amazed when he found the buc-caneertoo preoccupied to smack him in the chops.
As she combed her long hair in the focussing-mirror in her bedchamber, Nila visualized Dann Oryzon seated beside her. She thought they made a fine-looking couple. Dann had. . . matured. . . so much since the first time she laid eyes on him in the stall of the slaver.
He had gone from boy to man in the few short months she'd known him, and Nila felt honored that the Infinite had permitted her to witness that great transformation, a normal part of the life-process, but something miraculous as well. It was as if she had watched the hand of a master-sculptor refining one of his creations.
After his initiation, Dann acquired a new sensitivity, a heightened awareness of life's richness and potential, and an increased respect for all its manifestations. Nila realized that this new-found maturity was the result of an almost simultaneous exposure to many forces.
